Rotary Guiding Principles
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Rotary is the largest humanitarian service network in the world, with 1.2 million members, and 35,000 clubs in over 200 countries.  Each week, business, community, and professional leaders meet in clubs all over the world to organize service projects, fellowship, and connect.  

Rotary's vision is that, together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change, across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves. And Rotary's mission is to provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through its fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.  In addition to the foregoing, Rotary is guided by the following principles and codes: 

Object of Rotary

The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:

  • FIRST. The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
  • SECOND. High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society;
  • THIRD. The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business, and community life;
  • FOURTH. The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

Avenues of Service

For years, Rotary’s commitment to Service Above Self has been channeled through the Avenues of Service, which form the foundation of club activity.

The Four Way Test

The test, which has been translated into more than 100 languages, asks the following questions:

Of the things we think, say or do:

  1. Is it the TRUTH?
  2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
  3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
  4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

Rotary Core Values

  • Service
  • Fellowship
  • Diversity
  • Integrity
  • Leadership 

Rotary International recognizes the value of diversity within individual clubs. Rotary encourages clubs to assess those in their communities who are eligible for membership, under existing membership guidelines, and to endeavor to include the appropriate range of individuals in their clubs. A club that reflects its community with regard to professional and business classification, gender, age, religion, and ethnicity is a club with the key to its future.